Tell me this isn't going to be a problem....

[linney]

I'm a namechanging regular because I think people in RL know who I am and this is someone else's secret.

The head teacher of our primary school is gay and plans to come out in September - he's been Head for a year and was deputy head for two years before and he's reasonably popular and very effective. He's found it hard being "in the closet" this year and has told the governors he doesn't want to keep it secret any more.

As a bunch of average parents, please tell me whether you would have a problem with this - and how you would receive the information. I'm of the "Oh are you? Have another cup of tea" persuasion myself - but I am aware that not everyone is as relaxed about such matters. Or are they? Opinions, please.

Wouldn't bother me at all.

wouldn't bother me at all either.

Cammelia - linney said that he was going to "let it be known" - and that he would like to be able to bring his partner to school functions, just as a heterosexual man would - and, presumably, he would like to be able to stop hedging when people ask him about his weekend, or whether he's married and so on. Seems perfectly reasonable to me - the sexality of head teachers is not usually an issue becasue the assumption is that they will be straight - and they usually are.

There will always be some parents that may object, but most will let him get on with his job I'd have thought, especially if he has done a good job over the last three years.

I know a gay teacher. It's irrelevant to the work they do within the school. It did raise eyebrows when they started at the school (it was never a secret, but it took a while for folk to cotton on), and there was a leetle bit of gossip, but tbh there would have been gossip in the circumstances anyway, had they been heterosexual.

I agree with Marina. We are not representative.

It just seems like a complete non-issue to me.

Cammelia - who do the gay teachers you know bring to the Wine and Wisdom or the PTA Christmas drink?

It would not bother me at all.

I had assumed that the headteacher of my DDs school was gay, until his wife had their baby.
So obviously I cant tell at all

As long as he is good at his job why on earth should his sexuality matter?

I actually agree with Madlentileater and think that it would be a good thing to have a positive gay role model.